Assignment #7 Activities taken from MI Textbook First activity - Grade 8 students
I chose the Tic Tac Toe menu because I was looking for strategies to use for a two week period. My energy unit was the last one to be covered for first semester in Grade 8 (13-14 year old students). The strategy that I used was that of tiered assignments, following Dr Susan Baum’s Grouping Strategies Planning Matrix. The menu that I created offered differentiation allowing me to group students at three different skill levels. I thought that it would be fun and different for my students to have a last activity using an MI approach. Gardner's MI Intelligence theory mentions that not all students learn in the same way and that students discover that learning in more than one way makes them engaged. This idea reinforced and convinced me to use this strategy. So I created choices at the same levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, enabling students to feel and work comfortably and be able to succeed.
As I grouped my grade 8 students into emerging, average and advanced, some were not that happy of the group they were assigned to. My above average students were surprised to be grouped together. I decided to talk to them and I told them that they were expected to work at a higher level and that their tasks were going to be a greater challenge. As Judy Willis mentions in her article “The Neuroscience of Joyful Education”, "superior learning happens when classroom experiences are enjoyable and relevant". Each of the different tiered groups worked with less stress and felt more comfortable in their groups. Willis mentions the acronym RAD which I will try to always have present when preparing lessons. The acronym RAD (Novelty promotes information transmission through the Reticular activating system, stress-free classrooms propel data through the Amygdala's affective filter, and pleasurable associations linked with learning are more likely to release more Dopamine) .
As my students sat down to start working in their assigned groups I saw that they were on task. They were active and engaged. It was so rewarding for me!
I will explain one particular case of a student that I'm currently teaching. She always has trouble when I am to assess her in communication. She feels anxious and is not able to produce anything. A current event report was assigned and she did not submit it. We went through some talking and after a long process (even tears came from her eyes) she was able to produce, with my help, a report that did not measure her ability. For the strategy on this unit, she produced an excellent poster, in five minutes, representing different forms of energy. This reinforces concepts learned in our Learning Strategies class: Her strengths and interests are definitely geared towards visual arts. Baum (1994) mentions that "each individual has a preferred mode of solving a problem and developing products".
Poster produced by my grade 8 student. THINK TAC TOE ENERGY TRANSFORMATIONS GRADE 8
Describe the energy transformations that happen when you strike a match. List them in the order in which they occur.
Many common devices transform electrical energy into other forms. Think about the following devices in terms of energy transformations. Steam iron Ceiling fan Digital clock Hair Dryer For each device, describe which form or forms of energy the electrical energy becomes. Do these devices produce single or multiple transformations of energy?
Rewrite the boldface sentence about forms of energy into individual sentences that describe one form of energy. Construct a concept circle (cluster diagram) with the phrase “energy associated with the particles in matter” in the center, and the forms of energy connected to the center by lines.
Straighten a wire hanger. Feel the wire and observe whether it feels cool or warm. Then hold the ends of the wire and bend it back and forth several times. After bending the wire, feel it again. Explain how energy transformations can produce a change in temperature.
Make a table to compare and contrast the different forms of energy. Use a poster board to write your table.(potential and kinetic energy)
In terms of energy, write a detailed explanation of what happens when you eat a hot meal. Describe all the different forms of energy that you experience. For example, if you are eating under a lamp, its electromagnetic energy helps you see the food. Explain the source of each form of energy.
Draw a Venn Diagram on a piece of paper to compare gravitational potential energy and elastic potential energy. Explain this example: Which has a greater gravitational potential energy – a book lifted 1 meter off the ground or the same book lifted 10 meters off the ground.
Draw a sketch or diagram of playground equipment and label positions where a child would have potential energy and kinetic energy. Diagrams should include a slide, see-saw, climbing equipment and a swing.
Use an aluminum board and a cart. Place different amount of books at one end of the board and experiment with different heights and inclines. When does the car have the greatest gravitational potential energy?
SECOND ACTIVITY
Sixth grade students:
I decided to also work with my sixth grade students (10- 11 year old students) on a tiered activity. As they are finishing the unit on cells, a differentiated strategy that would help keep my students engaged at the end of the semester was the best approach I could implement. It is the first time that they have learned and looked at cells so I decided to reinforce the concepts learned through the 2 – 5 – 8 Menu taken from Differentiating Instruction with Menus – Science Laurie E. Westphal, pages 68, 69, and 70.
Ann Tomlinson, 1995, mentions that a particular challenge for a middle school teacher is to be able to differentiate and respond to mixed-ability classrooms. She states that there is “no single learning template for the general middle school class” and that differentiated instruction is a better solution to encounter the typical middle school years.
As I read the book Multiple Intelligences in the Elementary Classroom (Baum, Viens, and Slatin, 2005) I want to mention a statement that helped me decide on the present activity. “Most MI-based programs have been initiated to create opportunities for students across a range of intelligences or to create more individualized or personalized education by addressing students’ strengths.” The MI theory believes that “students represent a variety of cognitive strengths and ways of learning”, that is, MI theory means teaching to the intelligences through the Pathways Model. The 2 – 5 – 8 Menu on cells uses the Understanding Pathway. It will make my students feel comfortable choosing from a variety of entry points. Entry points are approaches where we, teachers, can use to create multiple ways into a topic. In this activity, there are narrative entry points (nomination of one cell organelle to Wall of Fame), Experiential or Hands-On entry points (creating a three-dimensional model of a cell using either modeling clay or objects), and social (create either a crossword puzzle on a cell or a cell-themed board game).
Choices with a point value of two represent the remember and understand levels, choices with a point value of five represent the apply and analyze levels, and choices with a point value of eight represent the evaluate and create levels. (Differentiating instruction with Menus (Science), Laurie Westphal). Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy is in use through this activity with the remember and understand levels at the bottom of the pyramid (remembering and understanding), the apply and analyze level, at the middle of the pyramid (applying and analyzing) and the evaluate and create levels at the top (evaluating and creating).
After I discussed all the product options on the menu, students chose products that added to a total of 10 points. Most of the students chose the Experiential or Hands-On tasks (analyze and apply levels). Making products such as cells with modeling clay was one of the most chosen tasks. The higher thinking skills were chosen by just 5 of my class groups. But a good product was accomplished with the nomination for a one cell organelle to the “Wall of Fame”!
Student working on his cell model
2 - 5 - 8 MENU CELLS SIXTH GRADE
Directions: Choose two activities from the menu below. The activities must total 10 points. Place a check mark next to each box to show which activities you will complete. All activities must be completed by Tuesday, December 21st. 2 Points
_ Create a crossword puzzle on a plant and animal cell and its organelles.
_ Make a cell cube. Each side will list an organelle, where it is located within the cell, its function, and a drawing or picture of the organelle. 5 Points
_ Make a cell-themed board game.
_ Create a three-dimensional model of a cell with all its organelles. (Decide between a plant and animal cell.
_ Design a travel brochure for Cell City. Include information on all of the interesting sights a tourist should visit. 8 Points
_ It is your job to nominate one cell organelle for the cell “Wall of Fame.”The nominee must be very deserving and important. Prepare a nomination speech for the organelle you think most deserves this honor.
___ Create a three-dimensional model of a cell using objects for each organelle that represent the organelle’s function (e.g., you could use a brain eraser for the nucleus). Label each object with the organelle’s name.
Assignment #6 I worked by myself since I wanted to create an activity and later use it in class.
THINK TAC TOE
LEARNING ABOUT THE PERIODIC TABLE AND ELEMENTS
Grade 8 students
DRAW A MODEL OF AN ELECTRON DIAGRAM OF AN ATOM OF CALCIUM.
WHY DOES A FLUORINE ATOM EASILY COMBINE WITH A CHLORINE ATOM? EXPLAIN IN AN ELECTRON DOT DIAGRAM
ARE CHLORINE AND FLUORINE BOTH IN THE SAME GROUP OR PERIOD? WHY?
EXPLAIN WHY FLUORINE AND CHLORINE BEHAVE SIMILARLY.
Match each element on the left with the element on the right that has the most similar chemical properties. Use the periodic table to help you. 1. Krypton (Kr) 2. Phosphorus (P) 3. Potassium (K) 4. Magnesium (Mg) 5. Silicon (Si) 6. Oxygen (O) 7. Sodium (Na) 8. Neon (Ne) 9. Calcium (Ca) 10. Sulfur (S) 11. Nitrogen (N) 12. Carbon (C) Why did you match the pairs as you did?
WHY ARE THE HALOGEN AND ALKALI GROUP SO REACTIVE?
DRAW THE ELECTRON DOT DIAGRAM OF CARBON AND OXYGEN AND DEMONSTRATE THROUGH AN EDD HOW THEY WOULD FORM A COMPOUND.
HOW MANY ELECTRONS ARE IN THE OUTER MOST SHELL OF AN ARGON ATOM? WHY DO WE SAY THAT IT´S A STABLE ATOM?
COMPARE AND CONTRAST WHY AN ATOM OF SODIUM IS MUCH MORE REACTIVE THAN AN ATOM OF HELIUM
Assignment #5 Comment on possible advantages of having Alphabet syndrome. Why might nature have done this? Is there any genetic advantage to any of these special populations? An “alphabet child” was defined by Susan Baum as a “bright youngster that demonstrates behaviors that are indicative of more than 1 diagnosis and, because of labeling confusion, some children are inappropriately served. Misdiagnosis can often worsen the situation and contribute to the student’s continued failure to be successful in the learning environment”. So, when we talk about any special needs population, such as ADHD, Asperger's syndrome, AD and others, we are talking about the alphabet syndrome.
To my opinion, it is a combination of factors both genetic and environmental, which may account for changes and advantage in the brain development of a special needs population. On page 12 of the book "Multiple Intelligences in the Elementary Classroom"(Susan Baum), she talks about the presence or absence of specific abilities on special needs populations. This idea is reinforced through this paragraph: "Individuals who have unusual profiles of intelligence offer another area to explore in identifying intelligences... Savants, prodigies, and autistic individuals exhibit a high level of ability in one area, whereas their other abilities are typically ordinary". it talks about the evolutionary evidence that exists in human intelligence.As we have been researching about the special needs students, I read on Asperger’s syndrome and how they develop an intense, sometimes obsessive interest in a hobby or in collecting objects. An Asperger child can become exceptionally knowledgeable in his chosen field of interest. He has developed – evolved in some gifted way. Couldn’t that be associated with a special gift that these children have? Can’t it be a genetic change that has happened in them? I can just imagine an Asperger child, 400 years ago, reciting lengthy poems or other readings from memory and people thinking that they were special – gifted! Most probably, throughout time, he has had serious deficiencies in some areas but has learned to excel in others to survive. This is just to mention one special needs population. I would also like to give a real example of a close friend. When we were adolescents, we swam together. She was deaf but definitely had developed her other senses. Her sight was superb, and she excelled in her personal observations. She observed us in a different way. When friends gathered together to socialize she would impersonate us… it’s unbelievable the way she spent time studying and perceiving us! She saw characteristics that were not seen by the rest. Even though she lacked a communication channel, which for us, normal beings is unthinkable of, she compensated this by having developed her other senses. For this I just want to say that when a human being has a special need, it learns to overcome it by developing a different intelligence. Then, couldn’t we think that we should really look at how evolution has been a key issue to these special needs students? How they have found a way to excel in a particular intelligence? I personally think that special needs population is a combination of factors, both genetic and environmental. Today, our world is over stimulated. Children are exposed to all types of stimuli: computers, ipods, Wii, etc. This over stimulation definitely contributes not to focus on one single issue. And this is one factor that is affecting the generations that are coming.
Assignment #4 Our Special Population was Gifted and Talented
Anne, Rocío, Cynthia, Maria Angela
Gifted and talented
Gifted students are not being serviced. Students who often have a higher than average IQs, often have high performance, good problem solving, are able to think critically, often widely read, abstract thinkers, often energetic, highly inquisitive, and sometimes have an “I’d rather do it myself”. Intellectual giftedness may be general or specific.
Learning challenges that many gifted children may face are boredom, stigmatization, becoming social outcasts, difficulty taking criticism, and collaborating with others.
Differentiation and independent project. Find out what they are passionate about and tap into that. Some parents ask in discussion pages if gifted or talented children should skip a grade, it is very controversial and does not fit easily into constraints of the typical school system. There is also the suggestion that school should rethink the way grades are formed.
Assignment #3 Name of the cartoon on the Cartoon Assignment: "Lab Safety Instructions for Middle School Students"
Assignment #2 Comment on your recent learning in our class about multiple intelligence theory or learning styles.
I would like to first start by stating how Gardner defined intelligence as the "ability to solve problems or to create products that are valued within one or more cultural settings '. (1999b). The MI theory mentions that intelligence originates biologically but that all individuals have the potential in all intelligences, that is, they can change and grow over time according to the amount of time and the better instruction and resources that individuals receive. Another important concept to have clear is that several intelligences work in a domain or discipline, for example, a musical domain not only needs of musical intelligences but also interpersonal, intra personal and bodily-kinesthetic abilities. I would like to add on this about subject areas: a subject area can involve more than one domain.
There is confusion between the term Learning styles and MI and we need to be careful about it. Learning styles refer to how individuals perform the learning processes, how they take in or receive information. How students organize themselves. How they perceive or feel are all learning styles. On the contrary, Multiple Intelligences are geared toward certain types of content. They possess "distinct developmental trajectory that leads to adult endstate". (Baum).
Assignment #1
My name is Rocio Malatesta. I'm currently teaching science to sixth and eighth grade students.
I'm an outdoors person that loves nature and sports. I train every day by either swim, run or exercise at the gym.
My passion is traveling and learning about new things.
What have I learned in these two days of class?
I would like to summarize it in a sentence that I read in one of Hank's power point presentations. "To see the best in students education should be strength based."
Differentiation is key in teaching and learning.
Yesterday in class we talked about Howard Gardner and his multiple intelligence theory. We discussed the different multiple intelligences that have been described. Hank emphasized that we must include in every unit plan at least 3 to 4 different multiple intelligences so that students don't always develop math and linguistic intelligences.
We also talked about learning styles. Learning styles are the learning processes:how each student learns.
Jigsawing. When I took the reflexive course with Barry, I had done some research on jigsawing for my class project but did not actually use it. Something that I have learned in addition to the reading that I had done is that when you assign a jigsawing activity we should divide students through their learning styles. We should accommodate them according to the best way that they learn. It makes sense!
I also have learned about the TTP - the Total Talent Portfolio. This tool is based on the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) developed by Joseph Renzulli and his group. The TTP is a tool that is used throughout the schooling of a student. It starts at Easy-3 and should end up when the student is a Senior of High School. In it, students, guided by the teacher, update regularly the portfolio. It is handed over, year after year. It is a really useful tool for a teacher since it shows all the work of a particular student. Especially useful for that 20% challenging students!
Activities taken from MI Textbook
First activity -
Grade 8 students
I chose the Tic Tac Toe menu because I was looking for strategies to use for a two week period. My energy unit was the last one to be covered for first semester in Grade 8 (13-14 year old students). The strategy that I used was that of tiered assignments, following Dr Susan Baum’s Grouping Strategies Planning Matrix. The menu that I created offered differentiation allowing me to group students at three different skill levels. I thought that it would be fun and different for my students to have a last activity using an MI approach. Gardner's MI Intelligence theory mentions that not all students learn in the same way and that students discover that learning in more than one way makes them engaged. This idea reinforced and convinced me to use this strategy. So I created choices at the same levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, enabling students to feel and work comfortably and be able to succeed.
As I grouped my grade 8 students into emerging, average and advanced, some were not that happy of the group they were assigned to. My above average students were surprised to be grouped together. I decided to talk to them and I told them that they were expected to work at a higher level and that their tasks were going to be a greater challenge. As Judy Willis mentions in her article “The Neuroscience of Joyful Education”, "superior learning happens when classroom experiences are enjoyable and relevant". Each of the different tiered groups worked with less stress and felt more comfortable in their groups. Willis mentions the acronym RAD which I will try to always have present when preparing lessons. The acronym RAD (Novelty promotes information transmission through the Reticular activating system, stress-free classrooms propel data through the Amygdala's affective filter, and pleasurable associations linked with learning are more likely to release more Dopamine) .
As my students sat down to start working in their assigned groups I saw that they were on task. They were active and engaged. It was so rewarding for me!
I will explain one particular case of a student that I'm currently teaching. She always has trouble when I am to assess her in communication. She feels anxious and is not able to produce anything. A current event report was assigned and she did not submit it. We went through some talking and after a long process (even tears came from her eyes) she was able to produce, with my help, a report that did not measure her ability. For the strategy on this unit, she produced an excellent poster, in five minutes, representing different forms of energy. This reinforces concepts learned in our Learning Strategies class: Her strengths and interests are definitely geared towards visual arts. Baum (1994) mentions that "each individual has a preferred mode of solving a problem and developing products".
Poster produced by my grade 8 student.
THINK TAC TOE
ENERGY TRANSFORMATIONS
GRADE 8
Steam iron
Ceiling fan
Digital clock
Hair Dryer
For each device, describe which form or forms of energy the electrical energy becomes. Do these devices produce single or multiple transformations of energy?
Construct a concept circle (cluster diagram) with the phrase “energy associated with the particles in matter” in the center, and the forms of energy connected to the center by lines.
Sixth grade students:
I decided to also work with my sixth grade students (10- 11 year old students) on a tiered activity. As they are finishing the unit on cells, a differentiated strategy that would help keep my students engaged at the end of the semester was the best approach I could implement. It is the first time that they have learned and looked at cells so I decided to reinforce the concepts learned through the 2 – 5 – 8 Menu taken from Differentiating Instruction with Menus – Science Laurie E. Westphal, pages 68, 69, and 70.
Ann Tomlinson, 1995, mentions that a particular challenge for a middle school teacher is to be able to differentiate and respond to mixed-ability classrooms. She states that there is “no single learning template for the general middle school class” and that differentiated instruction is a better solution to encounter the typical middle school years.
As I read the book Multiple Intelligences in the Elementary Classroom (Baum, Viens, and Slatin, 2005) I want to mention a statement that helped me decide on the present activity. “Most MI-based programs have been initiated to create opportunities for students across a range of intelligences or to create more individualized or personalized education by addressing students’ strengths.” The MI theory believes that “students represent a variety of cognitive strengths and ways of learning”, that is, MI theory means teaching to the intelligences through the Pathways Model. The 2 – 5 – 8 Menu on cells uses the Understanding Pathway. It will make my students feel comfortable choosing from a variety of entry points. Entry points are approaches where we, teachers, can use to create multiple ways into a topic. In this activity, there are narrative entry points (nomination of one cell organelle to Wall of Fame), Experiential or Hands-On entry points (creating a three-dimensional model of a cell using either modeling clay or objects), and social (create either a crossword puzzle on a cell or a cell-themed board game).
Choices with a point value of two represent the remember and understand levels, choices with a point value of five represent the apply and analyze levels, and choices with a point value of eight represent the evaluate and create levels. (Differentiating instruction with Menus (Science), Laurie Westphal). Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy is in use through this activity with the remember and understand levels at the bottom of the pyramid (remembering and understanding), the apply and analyze level, at the middle of the pyramid (applying and analyzing) and the evaluate and create levels at the top (evaluating and creating).
After I discussed all the product options on the menu, students chose products that added to a total of 10 points. Most of the students chose the Experiential or Hands-On tasks (analyze and apply levels). Making products such as cells with modeling clay was one of the most chosen tasks. The higher thinking skills were chosen by just 5 of my class groups. But a good product was accomplished with the nomination for a one cell organelle to the “Wall of Fame”!
Student working on his cell model
2 - 5 - 8 MENU
CELLS
SIXTH GRADE
Directions: Choose two activities from the menu below. The activities must total 10 points. Place a check mark next to each box to show which activities you will complete. All activities must be completed by Tuesday, December 21st.
2 Points
_ Create a crossword puzzle on a plant and animal cell and its organelles.
_ Make a cell cube. Each side will list an organelle, where it is located within the cell, its function, and a drawing or picture of the organelle.
5 Points
_ Make a cell-themed board game.
_ Create a three-dimensional model of a cell with all its organelles. (Decide between a plant and animal cell.
_ Design a travel brochure for Cell City. Include information on all of the interesting sights a tourist should visit.
8 Points
_ It is your job to nominate one cell organelle for the cell “Wall of Fame.”The nominee must be very deserving and important. Prepare a nomination speech for the organelle you think most deserves this honor.
___ Create a three-dimensional model of a cell using objects for each organelle that represent the organelle’s function (e.g., you could use a brain eraser for the nucleus). Label each object with the organelle’s name.
Assignment #6
I worked by myself since I wanted to create an activity and later use it in class.
THINK TAC TOE
LEARNING ABOUT THE PERIODIC TABLE AND ELEMENTS
Grade 8 students
1. Krypton (Kr)
2. Phosphorus (P)
3. Potassium (K)
4. Magnesium (Mg)
5. Silicon (Si)
6. Oxygen (O)
7. Sodium (Na)
8. Neon (Ne)
9. Calcium (Ca)
10. Sulfur (S)
11. Nitrogen (N)
12. Carbon (C)
Why did you match the pairs as you did?
Assignment #5
Comment on possible advantages of having Alphabet syndrome. Why might nature have done this? Is there any genetic advantage to any of these special populations?
An “alphabet child” was defined by Susan Baum as a “bright youngster that demonstrates behaviors that are indicative of more than 1 diagnosis and, because of labeling confusion, some children are inappropriately served. Misdiagnosis can often worsen the situation and contribute to the student’s continued failure to be successful in the learning environment”. So, when we talk about any special needs population, such as ADHD, Asperger's syndrome, AD and others, we are talking about the alphabet syndrome.
To my opinion, it is a combination of factors both genetic and environmental, which may account for changes and advantage in the brain development of a special needs population. On page 12 of the book "Multiple Intelligences in the Elementary Classroom"(Susan Baum), she talks about the presence or absence of specific abilities on special needs populations. This idea is reinforced through this paragraph: "Individuals who have unusual profiles of intelligence offer another area to explore in identifying intelligences... Savants, prodigies, and autistic individuals exhibit a high level of ability in one area, whereas their other abilities are typically ordinary". it talks about the evolutionary evidence that exists in human intelligence.As we have been researching about the special needs students, I read on Asperger’s syndrome and how they develop an intense, sometimes obsessive interest in a hobby or in collecting objects. An Asperger child can become exceptionally knowledgeable in his chosen field of interest. He has developed – evolved in some gifted way. Couldn’t that be associated with a special gift that these children have? Can’t it be a genetic change that has happened in them? I can just imagine an Asperger child, 400 years ago, reciting lengthy poems or other readings from memory and people thinking that they were special – gifted! Most probably, throughout time, he has had serious deficiencies in some areas but has learned to excel in others to survive. This is just to mention one special needs population. I would also like to give a real example of a close friend. When we were adolescents, we swam together. She was deaf but definitely had developed her other senses. Her sight was superb, and she excelled in her personal observations. She observed us in a different way. When friends gathered together to socialize she would impersonate us… it’s unbelievable the way she spent time studying and perceiving us! She saw characteristics that were not seen by the rest. Even though she lacked a communication channel, which for us, normal beings is unthinkable of, she compensated this by having developed her other senses. For this I just want to say that when a human being has a special need, it learns to overcome it by developing a different intelligence. Then, couldn’t we think that we should really look at how evolution has been a key issue to these special needs students? How they have found a way to excel in a particular intelligence? I personally think that special needs population is a combination of factors, both genetic and environmental. Today, our world is over stimulated. Children are exposed to all types of stimuli: computers, ipods, Wii, etc. This over stimulation definitely contributes not to focus on one single issue. And this is one factor that is affecting the generations that are coming.
Assignment #4
Our Special Population was Gifted and Talented
Assignment #3
Name of the cartoon on the Cartoon Assignment:
"Lab Safety Instructions for Middle School Students"
Assignment #2
Comment on your recent learning in our class about multiple intelligence theory or learning styles.
I would like to first start by stating how Gardner defined intelligence as the "ability to solve problems or to create products that are valued within one or more cultural settings '. (1999b). The MI theory mentions that intelligence originates biologically but that all individuals have the potential in all intelligences, that is, they can change and grow over time according to the amount of time and the better instruction and resources that individuals receive. Another important concept to have clear is that several intelligences work in a domain or discipline, for example, a musical domain not only needs of musical intelligences but also interpersonal, intra personal and bodily-kinesthetic abilities. I would like to add on this about subject areas: a subject area can involve more than one domain.
There is confusion between the term Learning styles and MI and we need to be careful about it. Learning styles refer to how individuals perform the learning processes, how they take in or receive information. How students organize themselves. How they perceive or feel are all learning styles. On the contrary, Multiple Intelligences are geared toward certain types of content. They possess "distinct developmental trajectory that leads to adult endstate". (Baum).
Assignment #1
My name is Rocio Malatesta. I'm currently teaching science to sixth and eighth grade students.
I'm an outdoors person that loves nature and sports. I train every day by either swim, run or exercise at the gym.
My passion is traveling and learning about new things.
What have I learned in these two days of class?
I would like to summarize it in a sentence that I read in one of Hank's power point presentations. "To see the best in students education should be strength based."
Differentiation is key in teaching and learning.
Yesterday in class we talked about Howard Gardner and his multiple intelligence theory. We discussed the different multiple intelligences that have been described. Hank emphasized that we must include in every unit plan at least 3 to 4 different multiple intelligences so that students don't always develop math and linguistic intelligences.
We also talked about learning styles. Learning styles are the learning processes:how each student learns.
Jigsawing. When I took the reflexive course with Barry, I had done some research on jigsawing for my class project but did not actually use it. Something that I have learned in addition to the reading that I had done is that when you assign a jigsawing activity we should divide students through their learning styles. We should accommodate them according to the best way that they learn. It makes sense!
I also have learned about the TTP - the Total Talent Portfolio. This tool is based on the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) developed by Joseph Renzulli and his group. The TTP is a tool that is used throughout the schooling of a student. It starts at Easy-3 and should end up when the student is a Senior of High School. In it, students, guided by the teacher, update regularly the portfolio. It is handed over, year after year. It is a really useful tool for a teacher since it shows all the work of a particular student. Especially useful for that 20% challenging students!